Towing system.



PATENTED FEB. 28, 1905.

H. W. ALDEN.

TOWING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 8, 1900.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

PATENTED FEB. 28, 1905.

H. W. ALDEN. TOWING SYSTEM.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. a, 1900.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

MW QMW y W Patented February 28, 1905.

HERBERT W. ALDEN, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSItjrNOR, BY MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO MORTON TRUST COMPANY,-TRUSTEE, A CORPORA- TION OF NE /VYORK.

TOWING @YSTEIVL SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.783,663, dated February 28, 1905.

Application filed February 8, 1900. Serial No. 472.

T at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT W. ALDEN. a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of Hartford, county of Hartford, State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in TowingSystems, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

IO This invention relates generally to such systems of towing boatsthrough canals as employ electrical tractors or locomotives which run onthe canal-bank and are connected with the boats by tow-lines. Heretoforeit has been 5 proposed to supply current to the motor of such a tractorby means of atrolley in contact with a continuous conductor; but thedependence of the tractor upon the continuous conductor and the cost ofmaintenance of such a system constitute practical objections to thegeneral adoption of such systems.

It is the object of this invention to overcome the objections referredto and to provide an improved system in which the wheeled 5 vehicle ortractor shall be wholly independent of any continuous conductor and inwhich the tractor shall retain its efficiency under all ordinaryconditions of use regardless of the character of theroad over which ittravels, no track 3 or metal way being required for the tractor totravel on nor to form apart of the electric circuit in which the motoris included.

A further object of the invention is to provide for the convenientmanipulation of the 3.5 electrical conductor and of the tow-line underall conditions, especially when boats are passing one another, and forthe avoidance of any injury to the electrical conductor, such as wouldbe caused by running the heavy tractor 4 over it.

The invention will be more fully described hereinafter, with referenceto the accompanying drawings, in Which-- Figure 1 is a general viewrepresenting a portion of a canal with two passing boats and tractors.Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same on asomewhat smaller scale.Fig. 3 is a detail View showing a portion of a tractor with itsconductor-pole, said view being in transverse section. Fig. 4 is a sideelevation 5 of the same. Fig. 5 is a detail view, in side elevation,showing a portion of a boat with its conductor-pole. Fig. 6 is a detailview, on a larger scale, of the conductor-pole and reel shown in Fig. 5.Fig. 7 is a detail view of a two-wire conductor.

in accordance with the invention the electrical apparatus-such as asource of electric energy, whether a storage battery, as shown at A inFig. '1, or a motor and generatcn', as shown at A in Fig. 1--is carriedby the boat B and is connected with the motor (l of a suitable electrictractor or locomotive or wheeled vehicle 1) preferably by a complete orall-metallic circuit that is to say, by a 5 continuous conductor foreach leg or side of the circuit. By preference both of these conductorsc and a, as represented clearly in Fig. 7, .are joined in a singlecomluctor-cable E, the two separate conductors being suitably insulated.This manner of connecting the motor with the source of electric energyon the boat makes the tractor wholly independent of any preparedroadway, such as a track, requiring no electrical connection between thetractor and the ground on which it travels or the water of the canal. Itis obviously desirable that the conductor should be independent of thetow-line M and be connected to the boat and the wheeled vehicle ortractor independ- 8O ently thereof, so that the two shall be capa ble ofrelative longitudinal movement at least to meet the requirements of theservice and to prevent rupture or injury of the conductor under any andall conditions of the tow-line, 5 as well as to promote convenience. Asindicated above, it is desirable to provide special means or mechanicaldevices for the manipulation of the conductor, whether the same be asingle conductor or a double conductor, not 9 only for convenience,especially when boats are passing one another, but for the furtherpurpose of avoiding injury to the conductor by permitting the wheeledvehicle or tractor to run over it as it lies upon the ground. 1t 05 willbe obvious that the tow-line and the conductor might be handledtogether; but as the tow-line is not particularly liable to injury by 1l being run over it Wlll be found more conventhat the conductor shall becarried normally at such a height as to pass readily and without contactunder low bridges, projecting limbs of trees, and other obstructions.Furthermore, the conductor should be kept under sufficient tension toprevent it from sagging too much, and provision should be made fortaking it in or paying it out automatically, as well as by theintervention of an attendant, in order that it may accommodate itself tothe distance between the boat and the tractor and with relation to thecondition of the tow-line. Means for manipulating the conductorobviously should be carried both on the tractor and on the boat orvessel, while means for maintaining tension and for taking in and payingout the conductor, either automatically or by hand, may be mostconveniently carried on the boat orvessel, where the weight,andespecially the space required, will be less objectionable. As shown inFigs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, a movable arm G, preferably pivoted, is mounted onthe tractor D and has the conductor secured at its end. As shown inFigs. 3 and 4, the arm is secured to a hub g, suitably supported in theside of the tractor, through which the conductor may pass to the insideof the tractor-body and thence to the motor. To the inner end of the hubg is secured a short arm G, which is provided with a suitablelatch orstop-pin g to engage one or another of suitable stops g for the purposeof holding the arm G in the desired position. A somewhat similar movablearm H is carried on the boat or vessel B and is suitably supported so asto accommodate the direction of the conductor and to permit theconductor to be taken in and paid out and the proper tension to bemaintained thereon. Accordingly the arm H may be pivoted upon a shaft 1,which is carried by a yoke or frame H, the latter being swiveled upon asuitable base-piece H so that the arm may be swung in any directionabouta vertical axis. A stop-pin 7L serves to retain the arm H in itselevated or depressed position, said pin engaging an extension or partof the yoke or frame H. A pulley k may be mounted in the end of the armH to permit the conductor to run freely. The end of the conductor issecured to a drum K, which is mounted on the shaft l, and is yieldinglyconnected therewith by a spring A: under tension, so that vthe conductoritself shall be kept at a proper tension and shall be automaticallyshortened or allowed to lengthen under varying conditions with relationto the tow-line. The shaft is provided with a suitable handle I, so thatthe conductor may be taken in or paid out by hand, as required, a pawl'1 engaging a ratchet i, which may be formed on the hub of the arm I, inorder to maintain the proper tension on the conductor. If a two-wireconductor is employed, as herein described, one wire may be inelectrical connection with the drum and thence through the frame to thebase, from which connection to the source of energy may be made in theusual manner. The other wire may be in electrical connection with aninsulated ring L on th drum, and a contact-plate L may be mounted on theframe, but insulated therefrom, and the conductor-wire continued fromsuch contact, through the center of the swiveling frame and the base, tothe other side of the battery or generator. In this manner properelectrical connection is maintained at all times, while the conductormay be taken in or paid out, as desired.

When boats are passing one another, the tow-line M, which may beconnected directly to the tractor and to the boat or vessel in the usualmanner, may be slacked away, so as to permit the other tractor and theother boat or vessel to pass over it. 7 The conductor, how' ever, iselevated both on the tractor and on the boat or vessel, so as to permitthe other tractor and boat or vessel to pass under the same.

It will be obvious that the invention can be embodied in other formsandconstructions than those shown and described herein, wherefore theinvention is not to be restricted to the particular form andconstruction shown and described.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination of a boat, an electricalapparatus mounted on the boat, a wheeled vehicle, electrical apparatusmounted on the wheeled vehicle, a mechanical connection between the boatand the Wheeled vehicle, an independent electrical connection betweenthe electrical apparatus on the boat and the electrical apparatus on thewheeled vehicle, and means for manipulating the electrical connectionindependently of the mechanical connection.

2. The combination of a boat, an electrical apparatus mounted on theboat, a wheeled vehicle, electrical apparatus mounted on the Wheeledvehicle, a mechanical connection be tween the boat and the wheeledvehicle, an electrical connection, independent of the mechanicalconnection, between the electrical apparatus on the boat and theelectrical apparatus on the wheeled vehicle, and mechanical devices totake up and pay out the electrical connection automaticallyindependently of the mechanical connection.

3. The combination of a boat, a source of electrical energy, a wheeledvehicle, an elec 'tric motor, a current conductor from the source ofenergy to the motor, means for taking up and paying out the conductor,and means for maintaining electrical connection through the conductorfrom the source of energy to the motor while the conductor is beingtaken up or paid out.

4. In a towing system, the combination of a boat, a source of electricenergy mounted on the boat, a tractor, an electric motor mounted on thetractor, all-metallic electrical connections from the source of energyto'the motor and return, and means mounted on the boat or tractor forraising and lowering the electrical connections.

In a towing system, the combination of a boat, a source of electricenergy mounted on the boat, a tractor, an electric motormounted on thetractor, all-metallic electrical connections from the source of energyto the motor and return, and means for maintaining tension on saidelectrical connections as the distance between the boat and the tractorvaries.

6. In a towing system, the combination of a boat, a source of electricenergy mounted on the boat, a tractor, an electric motor mounted on thetractor, electrical connections from the source of energy to the motor,means for raising and lowering the electrical connections, and means formaintaining tension on said electrical connections.

7. In a towing system, the combination of a boat, a source of electricenergy mounted on the boat, a tractor, an electric motor mounted on thetractor, an electrical conductor from the source of energy to the motor,an arm pivoted on the tractor or boat and having said conductorsupported thereon, and means for maintaining said arm in elevated ordepressed position.

8. In a towing system, the combination of a boat, a source of electricenergy mounted on the boat, a tractor, an electric motor mounted on thetractor, an electrical conductor from the souce of energy to the motor,a movable arm mounted on the boat and supporting the conductor, andmeans to maintain tension on said conductor also supported on the boat.

9. In a towing system, the combination of a boat, a source of electricenergy mounted on the boat, a tractor, an electric motor mounted on thetractor, an electrical conductor from the source of energy to the motor,means for raising and lowering said conductor, and a drum mounted on theboat for taking in and paying out said conductor.

10. In a towing system, the combination of a boat, a source of electricenergy mounted on the boat, a tractor, an electric motor mounted on thetractor, a two-wire electrical conductor connected to the motor andmechanically connected to a drum on the boat for taking in and payingout said conductor, and separate electrical connections from theseparate wires of said conductor to the source oi.

energy.

'11. In a towing system, the combination of a boat, a source of electricenergy mounted on the boat, a tractor, an electric motor mounted on thetractor, a two-wire electrical conductor connected to the motor, a drummounted on the boat and having the other end of said conductormechanically connected therewith, one wire of said conductor beingelectrically connected with the source of energy through the frame ofthe drum, an insulated ring mounted on said drum and connectedelectrically with the other wire of the con ductor, and a separateelectrical connection from said ring to the source of energy.

This specification signed and witnessed this 6th day of February, A. D.1900.

HERBERT W. ALDEN.

In presence of H. P. MAXIM, HERMANN F. (luu'rz.

